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Abandoned baby case trial moved to July; Eckersley wants mention of prior child endangerment charge barred from trial

Prosecutors want jurors to know that Alexandra Eckersley, the woman charged with abandoning her newborn infant in a tent in woods in freezing temperatures in December of 2022, was previously charged with endangering another infant.

Pat Grossmith profile image
by Pat Grossmith
A tent in the woods near Electric Street in Manchester where a newborn was rescued by first-responders. Photo/Jeffrey Hastings

MANCHESTER, NH — Prosecutors want jurors to know that Alexandra Eckersley, the woman charged with abandoning her newborn infant in a tent in woods in freezing temperatures in December of 2022, was previously charged with endangering another infant.

Eckersley, 27, who was homeless at the time she gave birth to a premature son, was to go on trial later this month in Hillsborough County Superior Court North on two counts of second-degree assault and one charge each of falsifying physical evidence, a felony, reckless conduct, a misdemeanor, and endangering the welfare of a child, also a misdemeanor.  However, Judge Amy Messer on Wednesday continued with jury selection to begin on July 22, 2024.

Defense attorney Kimberly A. Kossick, in court documents, said Eckersley was never convicted of the endangerment charge the prosecution wants admitted as evidence; the charge was filed without a finding on Aug. 30, 2023.  The defense argues that evidence would be “unfairly prejudicial because if the jury hears that Allie had previously been accused of endangering the welfare of a child—and arrested on the warrant the same night as these alleged incidents—they may assume she is a person who is a danger to children.”

Eckersley, with the court’s permission, appeared via WebEx at a hearing on Wednesday that was to be the final pre-trial hearing.  She had requested the change because she had her son that day.  According to court documents, her mother, Nancy, is her transportation to court.  She also would be the primary person to watch the baby if Eckersley were unable to do so.

“Because of the attention this matter has received, Ms. Eckersley would like to avoid bringing her son to the courthouse,” defense attorneys wrote in asking the judge for permission for Eckersley to appear via WebEx.

Defense attorneys have previously said that Eckersley is sober, that her child has recovered and that she sees him twice a week.

Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Shawn P. Sweeney, in court documents, said the night Eckersley was arrested she had an outstanding warrant for her failure to appear in court on an endangering the welfare of a child offense brought by Concord Police.

The incident in Concord, Sweeney wrote, was witnessed by more than five individuals.  On Sept. 8, 2021, about 7:30 p.m., police responded to Cumberland Farms on North Main Street for a report of a “very impaired woman” with a baby trying to walk on the sidewalk.

Witnesses told police that before they arrived Eckersley spilled an iced coffee on the baby.  They said she could not stand still and did not appear to be in control of her body’s movements.  Eckersley let go of the stroller and a Cumberland Farms employee took the baby from the stroller and went inside the store.

Eckersley was moving around as if she had bugs crawling all over her body and was rapidly jerking the baby stroller back and forth.  Officer J. Galvin described Eckersley as “bug-eyed and her mouth was so dry that her lips would get caught on her gums” as she spoke.

When she was told to let go of the stroller, Eckersley attempted to pick it up.

The baby was transported to Concord Hospital for treatment.  The three-month-old took a bottle upon her arrival at the hospital and it was evident the baby “had not eaten for some time.”  The baby was otherwise unharmed.

Galvin, according to Sweeney’s filing, described Eckersley’s movements as if she were attempting to do some type of interpretive dance, and she did not stop moving around in jerking motions during his attempt to speak with her.  Galvin also described her train of thought as unpredictable as her body’s movements, and she went in circles while attempting to answer questions, speaking at what seemed like twice the normal speed.

Eckersley was not the mother of the infant.  Police located the baby’s mother in Room 401 at the local Holiday Inn.  The infant’s mother was nodding off during her conversation with officers. Police, in searching the hotel room, recovered needles and other drug paraphernalia with apparent methamphetamine residue.  They also found suspected chunks of methamphetamine in an envelope labeled “Allie.”

Sweeney said Eckersley’s actions and demeanor on the night of the current endangering charge mimics her actions and demeanor during her interactions with Concord police.

“The probative value of the defendant’s previous crimes against an infant is probative of her knowledge and intent with regard to the crime against the child in the instant case and, although all of the evidence against the defendant is prejudicial, it is not unfairly so,” Sweeney wrote.

The Manchester-based charges stem from Eckersley giving birth to her son about midnight on Dec. 26, 2022 in a wooded area near the West Side Ice Arena on Electric Street.   She is accused of abandoning the newborn alone in a tent for about an hour in 18-degree weather.

The state contends she left the baby to seek warmth and request emergency help for herself, fearing she could be at significant risk.  She also is accused of misdirecting a rescue team that was trying to find the baby.  After about an hour, Eckersley told rescuers where to find the tent and the baby. The infant was found inside the tent on the floor, uncovered and unclothed, suffering from hypothermia and related symptoms, according to court documents.

The defense maintains Eckersley was frightened, bleeding, crying, cold and confused after unexpectedly giving birth.   She said her tent companion, George Theberge who abandoned her, told her the infant, a boy weighing 4.4 pounds, had no pulse.

Defense attorneys said she did not tell police the tent’s location for fear of Theberge.  As soon as Eckersley realized she was safe in the ambulance, and that Theberge was not coming back, she took the police to the tent, her defense attorneys maintain.

Theberge, 45, was located days later and charged with witness tampering, reckless conduct and child endangerment.  He pleaded guilty last August to the endangerment charge and was sentenced to 12 months in jail.  The reckless conduct and witness tampering charges were dropped.

Eckersley is the daughter of former Red Sox star Dennis Eckersley and his wife, Nancy.


Pat Grossmith profile image
by Pat Grossmith